Change of Scenery
by Kid Shiba
Summary: Life at the Russo household has become a living nightmare for Max. Will a little change of scenery be enough for him to embrace his true self and discover a love that he never even considered? AU


**Okay. This is my first actual story and I must say I am really proud of it so far. I really enjoy drama and it sometimes becomes a main theme in all the stories I write. More importantly though... this would not have been possible without the help I received from my Fanfiction Mom, Bloody Queen Mary. I wanted to take this time to say thank you for the major help and support. You're the best!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place**

Max shifted uneasily, as the glare he was receiving from his father intensified. The look on Jerry's face showed nothing but disgust. He watched as the older man looked back at the large pile of magazines and pictures, all of them containing naked boys of various ages, before turning his attention back to him. It was a cycle that he had repeated almost three times, and the tension in the room was clearly rising. All Max wanted to do as of now was just disappear. Mainly because he was nervous beyond belief. He had never seen his father this angry or upset about anything in his life. And, when you consider all the times that he and Alex have fucked up, that's really saying something. From the way he kept clenching his fist, Max knew that his father was just about ready to explode, but he hoped to god that he wouldn't have to take a hit this time.

Max remembered that day with great detail. His mom and dad were arguing intensely back and forth in the kitchen. He and Alex were between their parents, trying to break up their argument, which was becoming increasingly more audible with each passing second. Alex was trying to calm down Theresa, while Max was trying to pull his dad further away from the argument. Jerry wasn't too happy about this and pushed his youngest son into the fridge with so much force that it knocked down many of the items that were on top of it. The pain he felt in the back of his head was very sharp, and he was sure that he was either bleeding, or had a very bad bruise. Jerry's action had immediately caused the arguing to cease. Alex was the first person to come to Max's aid.

"Max! Are you okay?"

There was so much worry in his sister's voice, but he was too dazed to even answer the question. Then, out of nowhere, Theresa's voice rang loudly through the entire apartment.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, JERRY!?"

She ended her statement with a push that sent Jerry back a few feet. That was when Max saw the danger his mother was in. His father was seething, and his right hand was tightly clenched into a fist. He knew what his father was about to do, but he couldn't allow himself to watch it all unfold. He quickly pushed himself off the floor, throwing his sister down in the process, as he stepped in front of Theresa just in time. His father's fist hit him square in the face, causing him to stumble backwards into his mother. They both went back a few feet, falling on the tile floor, with Max landing on top of his mother. It was at this point that he had lost consciousness.

His gaze slowly switched over to his mother, who was standing as far away from Jerry as possible right now. Her face was nearly the exact opposite of his father's - she was worried. Max could see her gaze switching back and forth between him and his father. They both knew that they couldn't help the situation in any way right now. As more time progressed, Max did notice that the redness and anger was starting to leave his dad's face, and that his breathing was slowing to a steady rhythm. At least he knew that he was no longer in danger of being physically attacked.

Finally, after another two minutes of waiting, Jerry made a move towards Max's dresser. He pulled out each drawer, dumping the contents in a pile, before turning back towards his son. He simply raised his hand, pointing directly at the door, before letting two simply words flow through his lips.

"Get out."

Those two words made Max's heart sink tremendously.

"Jerry, you can't do – "

"This is final, Theresa. You are _not_ going to change my mind this time."

His attention refocused on his youngest son.

"Pack your shit… and get out."

Max was stunned by the harshness in his father's voice. This was something he thought he would never hear from his dad. The fact he even heard this from his father's mouth deeply confused the young teen. The older male couldn't be serious about kicking him out. Not over something as small as a preference to the same sex.

Max was literally stuck in a realm of denial and disbelief. His mind had shut down, making it difficult for him to comprehend what was going on. It wasn't until a minute later, that Jerry snapped the younger boy out of his trance.

"Max... I'm gonna say this one more time. Pack your shit… and get out."

Even after hearing this statement for a second time, Max was still torn on what he was supposed to do. A huge part of him was terrified. He wanted to just pack up and leave, like his father intended, to avoid any conflict. However, there was also a small part of him that was worried. What would happen to his mother if he left her behind? She usually ended up being a target for Jerry's rage. He couldn't count the number of times he'd seen his mom with a black eye or some kind of bruise on her body. There was no way he could leave his mother to fend for herself. It was time for him to draw the line. Max gathered up all the courage he could muster before doing something that he thought he'd never do.

"No."

As quickly as he had said it, Jerry looked up with a shocked expression on his face.

"What?"

"I said no. I'm not leaving."

The surprised look Jerry held slowly formed into one of pure rage.

It was at this point that Theresa cut into the conversation. She could see Jerry's temper rising tremendously and knew something bad was about to happen.

"Max. Just go. I'll be –"

"No!"

Max's attention turned completely to his mother now.

"I'm not going to leave you here with him! He'll just try and hurt you again!"

That statement quickly shut her up.

It was only a second later that Max felt one of his father's hands gripping his hair before being roughly yanked backwards. He lost his balance and his back collided against the wall of his room. The searing pain he felt from having his hair pulled caused tears to form in the young teen's eyes. His head was pressed firmly against the wall, leaving him pretty much helpless for any type of assault from his father. All he could do now was watch in fear as his father's other hand drew back as far as his body would allow him.

As Jerry was throwing his first punch, Max saw his mother grab her husband's arm, stopping his movement just inches from the younger male's face. His father quickly whipped his arm back and delivered an elbow to the side of Theresa's head, causing her to stagger backwards onto the bed. The magazines and pictures that once laid there were scattered onto the floor. Max was instantly angered by this. He had never witnessed his father hit his mother before, but seeing the event happen was too much to handle for the teen.

He pushed his father's hand off his forehead and tightly grabbed the older male's wrist. Summoning all the strength he could, he pulled his father closer to him, before unloading one of the hardest punches he had ever thrown on Jerry's jaw.

"Fuck!"

The older male was sent reeling backwards, but he was still able to stand after Max's assault. The teen knew that he couldn't give his father the chance to recover, so he threw another hard punch. His fist hit his father squarely in the nose this time. Jerry stumbled to the floor with a loud thud and his hand quickly covered his nose. He could taste the blood in his mouth from the first punch he received. After removing his hands from his nose, Jerry saw that his hand was also covered with blood. The fact that his son even dared to hit him was eating away at his insides. He was the only alpha male in their home, and he intended for it to stay that way.

"So... you think you're a man now, huh?"

Max said nothing to his father. His face showed no emotion anymore, but his eyes were locked tightly on the older male, almost as if he were daring Jerry to move. The teen had finally conquered his fear over his father.

This is definitely not the reaction Jerry had expected from his son. The usual fear in the younger male's eyes was gone. His son no longer feared him. This was definitely not good. He desperately searched for a solution in his head on how to fix the situation he was in. And it wasn't long before he came up with the perfect one. He may have lost this battle... but the war would soon be his.

"I'm not going to make you leave."

A small grin appeared on Jerry's face after his statement. He picked himself up off the floor and walked out of the room. Seconds later, the sound of a door slamming from somewhere within the apartment could be heard. Once he was sure his father was gone, Max quickly made his way to his mother, helping her up to a sitting position on the bed before wrapping her into a bone crushing hug. They pulled away from the hug and Theresa quickly pressed her lips against her son's forehead.

"Are you okay mi hijo?"

"Mom, I think I should be asking you that. You're the one that got hit."

"Don't worry about me... I'm fine."

Knowing that his mother was alright was all that Max needed to hear. After helping her stand, he pulled her into another hug. He was absolutely relieved that he wouldn't be leaving.

Almost thirty minutes later, Max and Theresa were nearly done putting away the pile of clothes on the floor when the door of his room was violently pushed open. Three men suddenly rushed into the room and quickly grabbed them both, separating them as far away from each other as they possibly could. Max immediately began to struggle against the two men, desperately trying to pry himself from their hold. After a few failed escape attempts, he was slammed face first into the ground. The teen instantly felt woozy after his face had hit the floor. His eyes widened in disbelief when he felt a pair of cool metal handcuffs being applied to his wrists. These were policemen. And they were here for him.

As soon as the cuffs were in place, he was pulled up from the floor. The room looked as if it was spinning to Max. He could barely stand on his own at the time, so the two officers stood on opposite sides of him, holding him up so he wouldn't fall. The sound of Theresa's screams of protest assaulted his ears, and only saddened the younger teen even more. Tears quickly began to make their way down Max's face. The two officers pulled him forward, forcing him to walk along with them as they headed out of his room and down the spiralling stairs. He could hear one of the officers speaking to him as they made their way down, but didn't pay attention to his words. Max had watched many detective shows before, so he knew what they were saying. By the time he reached the living room, Max had become emotionally unstable. His eyes immediately turned to his father, who was being tended to by medical personnel. The smirk on his face was all the information the young boy needed. He quickly averted his eyes and held his head down as he walked past his father. The teen knew that Jerry had called the police to pick him up. He saw it written all over his face. It disturbed Max, however, to know that his father was enjoying the whole situation.

_Four hours later_

Four white walls and a solid white door. These were the only objects that had kept Max company for the last three hours. There was no furniture, no windows, no TV; not even a toilet. Just an emptied out, enclosed little space that was about the size of a closet. This was not only his new place of residency, but also his worst nightmare. A feeling of hopelessness had set in for Max a while ago, but even that feeling had gone away during his time in his cell. There was nothing left for him to live for anymore. There was no way his dad would get him out of here or let Theresa do so, and Alex was an entire continent away with Harper. The only person that could probably get him out of this situation was someone Max hadn't seen in over two years. And also someone he has missed dearly since his departure.

The sound of someone unlatching the solid door caused a flash of relief to come over Max. He didn't know whether he was going to be given a chance to leave the cell or whether he would have to share his cell with another person, but at least he was going to finally be able to do something. A rather tall police officer stepped into the room and his eyes immediately locked onto the younger male's small frame.

"Are you Max Russo?"

Max looked at the officer with hope in eyes as he slowly nodded his head in approval.

"Your bail has been paid. Someone's here to pick you up."

Hearing this quickly made Max feel a lot better. This was great news to him. He didn't even care who paid for his bail. He was just happy to be free of this small, enclosed prison cell. Max quickly stood up, following the officer into the lobby, making a few turns here and there before they reached their destination.

In the room stood a tall figure in the corner who smiled upon seeing the young teen. It took Max a few seconds to actually process who this person was, but when he finally realized, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Justin?"


End file.
